Heraldry—An Educational Package for Ages 9 to 13

The first part of the tournament was overwhelming, and Edgar realized that
many of his knights had been eliminated. But the worst part was that the knights in
his own little army were fighting each other by mistake. The knights could not
recognize each other during the battle because of their helmets and their armour.
They all looked like tin cans without labels.
Edgar lost the first part of the tournament and returned to his castle very
disappointed. He went to his wife, Joan, and told her that he did not believe it was
possible to win the other parts of the tournament against Lord Roland because his
knights could not identify their enemies during the battle. Joan suggested to her
husband that he hire a friend’s son named Xavier. She said to him: “Xavier is a
herald, and his profession is the science of coats of arms, known as heraldry. A coat
of arms is an image illustrated on a shield, a piece of clothing or another possession.
The image represents the person who owns the coat of arms.”
Edgar was very impressed with his wife’s knowledge. He had nothing to
lose and decided to have Xavier come to his castle. Arriving there, Xavier
immediately saw what the problem was with the knights. Xavier explained the
dilemma to Lord Edgar. “My lord, the new helmets worn by your knights prevent
them from recognizing each other. To defeat the knights of Lord Roland, it is
necessary to identify your team so that no confusion during the battle is created.”
“What shall we do, Xavier?” asked Edgar.
“Lord Edgar, we must identify your knights by means of an object that
represents you well. As your domain is famous for its apple trees, and as your
family name is Appleyard, I shall use an apple as a symbol for your army.”
“What a good idea!” exclaimed Edgar.
Xavier therefore drew apples on the shields and on the surcoats of the
knights as well as on the trappings of the horses.
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